We had a pretty late start to our day as we had brunch around noon at a small restaurant on our way to the Vatican. We enjoyed “fried” eggs, fresh juice, apple sweet cake, and cappuccinos. It was good, but the place was a bit overpriced and the staff was a bit inattentive.
On our way to the Vatican we were constantly bombarded by tour guides and agencies trying to sell us skip the line passes. They tried to persuade us that it would take two to three hours to get into the Vatican and that if we only paid an additional 35 euros that we could save ourselves time. We simply said no. It appeared that many of these people were embellishing their stories and some of them were scammers. We did not have the time or energy for that nonsense.
On the way to the Vatican, the ceilings of the building were quite magnificent. When we arrived in the Sistine Chapel, there was signage that indicated that we were not supposed to take videos or pictures and we were to remain silent to be respectful. To say that people did not follow the rules is an understatement.
Left and right I saw people pull out their cell phones as they snuck a shot or two. One gentleman had his dslr camera. I saw him take several pictures and then he moved right in front of me and tried to take another picture. I told him that pictures are not allowed and that it was quite disrespectful of him to go against the established rules. He walked away, he knew that the had was caught in the act. I also caught a young teenage girl who was using her Gopro to record. I saw the red light flashing indicating that it was recording. I called her out and she followed suit and walked away. Some individuals might consider me stepping in an overstep or uppity. However, I see it as a matter of principle and respect. For some individuals this structure is seen as a holy site and the fact that people are talking quite loud and taking pictures-flash pictures at that-is utterly distasteful. Besides my observation and my involvement in keeping people in check, I enjoyed taking in the beauty of the Sistine Chapel. It is worth a visit. Just keep your phone and video camera away.
After our visit to the Vatican we briefly stopped by Piazza Navona. There were fountains, and beautiful architecture to look at throughout the plaza. Not too far away, we saw the Pantheon. Unfortunately, when we arrived admittance was closed, but we were still able to see the outside and part of the inside from afar.
The next site that we had the pleasure of visiting was the Spanish Steps. Similar to the Vatican, there were people trying to see things to tourists, but here they tried to force you to hold roses and then they would try to demand that you pay for them. We responded a bit more short to let these people know that we did not intend to purchase any roses. Not. One. Rose. After trekking up the steps, we sat on one of the nearby walls to take in the view. We stayed until almost sunset. It was quite beautiful and you could almost all of Rome, or so I would say.
The last major site that we had the change of seeing was the Trevi Fountain. This place was swarming with people as it was approaching dusk. At the fountain, we met an older couple with their grandson, who told us that two years ago the fountain was not functioning because they had to perform some maintenance. He also shared with us that it is tradition to throw three coins into the fountain, in the hopes that someday you will return. I did not have cash on hand, but Joelle threw some of her Czech currency. After our brief chat with the couple, we left to steer clear of the crowds.
Now that sight seeing was over, we ate dinner at a small restaurant not too far from the Trevi Fountain. I enjoyed pasta with mushrooms.
To end out night we got dessert- gelato of course. This time I chose the flavors watermelon, pomegranate, and one that I cannot recall. It was really good though!
